


From the Source

by Rosage



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Aisha is everyone's mom, Gen, Inanna is Muriel's mom, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 10:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18134795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosage/pseuds/Rosage
Summary: Asra brings Aisha into the forest to investigate a poisoned water source and meet another mother and child pair.





	From the Source

The forest’s dew appears to Aisha as stars on a dark canvas. She follows Asra's halting lead, stopping short whenever he pauses to gather ingredients. He hands her a berry, sweet and tart, which she eats with care while wiping the juice from his face. After that, he forages without eating, against her intent.

She can almost hear Salim reciting the uses for each ingredient, even though he's working back in the city. According to Asra, one stranger would be an adjustment for his friend, let alone two—or four. Snug in Aisha's sash, Chimes almost vibrates with curiosity about the forest, but after their separation Aisha has been reluctant to let her friend explore.

Besides, she’s certain her sense of subtlety is the reason she’s visiting first. Sensing the magic steeped in the ground, she avoids touching anything she doesn't need to. Salim, bless him, would be investigating all matter of things.

Asra's magic resonates from a talisman in a nearby tree. Its frayed edges reveal its age. "I really need to refresh those," he says. He seems embarrassed, but she’s only fighting the instinct to picture how young he must have been.

They arrive at a hut nestled in the roots of a great tree. Salim would love to analyze the structure, Aisha thinks; she tucks it away among the things to describe to him that night. For now, she gives Asra a quick inspection, plucking a leaf from his shoulder. He rubs his neck and reaches for the doorknob. Halfway to twisting it, he seems to remember she's there before calling out, "Muriel? It's us."

After a long moment, the door cracks open. It swings wide to reveal a space that looks more spacious from the inside, though Muriel is hunched as far back as possible while holding the door. Aisha and Asra enter quickly. Aisha bends to remove her shoes while the door swings shut.

She rises, lifting her chin higher than she’s used to. Even doing so, she fails to meet Muriel's eyes, as he's staring at the floor. He's wearing a hooded cloak that seems unnecessary indoors and less underneath it than is called for.

"Hello," she says. "It's kind of you to have us. I'm Aisha."

His gaze flicks to hers for an instant. "I know."

"This is Muriel," Asra offers.

"Asra has told me all about you," Aisha says.

That seems to distress Muriel. "All good things," Asra says. Muriel still looks dubious.

A small huff makes Aisha aware of another host. A wolf pads toward her, framed by the fireplace’s light, and sits by Muriel’s toes.

"Oh, how could I forget? This is Inanna," Asra says. He scratches her ears, which twitch his fingers away. She otherwise remains still as she studies Aisha with intelligent eyes.

Understanding dawns. Aisha holds out a hand, in case Inanna would like to shake paws. "It's lovely to meet you, Inanna. I'm Asra's mother." Inanna watches, tilting her head, before sniffing Aisha's waist. Chimes pokes out of her sash, startling Muriel. "How rude of me to forget. This is Chimes."

"Faust's mom," Asra offers. Muriel seems more startled by that idea than by her sudden appearance.

While Inanna woofs quietly, Chimes bobs her head. She translates to Aisha, _Nice boy. Be nice._

"You have nothing to worry about, Inanna," Aisha says. Inanna tilts her head.

Rummaging through her bag, Aisha produces a tin of tealeaves, which at Asra's direction aren’t wrapped as nicely as she prefers. "With my husband's regards, as well. He says the tin keeps things fresher than most."

Muriel opens it slowly like he's afraid he'll drop it. "Thanks," he says, flushing. Aisha smiles brightly. "Weren't you going to look at the rivers, or something."

Inanna whines as Asra releases a small sigh. Aisha appraises him for signs of wear. "Do you need to rest, first?" she asks.

"Huh? Oh, no." Undoubtedly, he hoped to stay longer, but from his description this is what Aisha expected.

Muriel leads them outside. Beyond providing a focus for the meeting, the mission concerns Aisha. She can't remember the last time she explored this forest; her last months in the city were spent working at the palace, and for all she knows the forest's rivers are as tainted as the city's canals. Muriel seems worried they are, as he's apparently been living off of collected rainwater.

"Just follow me, and don't touch anything. It's dangerous," Muriel says.

"I understand. Thank you for guiding us," Aisha says. He grunts.

For all his bulk, he navigates expertly through the trees, around barbed vines and roots that try to trip them. Insects shine like jewels, and hoof prints too small to belong to a deer are scattered far apart, like the owner was running. As they delve deeper, a sulfurous scent masks the forest's earthy smell. The source of it becomes clear as they approach rushing water.

A thin river like dark glass cuts down the slope. Inanna positions herself in front of the riverbank, her yellow eyes glowing in the forest's shadows. "We’ll be careful," Aisha promises.

Thankfully, the plague’s characteristic red doesn’t stain the water. Aisha plunges her magic into it, letting the current carry it downstream. Indeed, it's free of the disease, but a different poison clouds her magic until she pulls out of the murk. It's almost more troublesome, as she has no experience cleaning this—but then, she's always liked puzzles.

While she relays all of this, the others seem troubled. "Can you purify it?" Asra asks.

"You’re also a water mage. You tell me."

He studies it with glassy eyes for a minute before declaring it possible. Pride blooms in her breast. Before her confinement, he had only just mastered boiling water. She collects a sample in an alchemical vial, and the two of them test it, picturing sucking the poison out of the water like venom from a snakebite. It works.

"It will be most effective to purify it from the source," Aisha says.

"That's far up the mountains," Muriel says, looking unhappy about it.

Asra pats his arm. "You don't have to go all the way up with us."

Sweat beads Muriel's brow beneath his cloak. "No. You'll get hurt without me."

"You're a brave man, Muriel,” Aisha says. “Will you need any preparations?"

Asra looks at her gratefully, and Muriel shakes his head. "Let's just get this over with."

They begin the trek up the slope, following the river's path except when Muriel guides them around obstacles. At times, he senses traps even she and Asra miss; he shrugs off her compliment on his perception. He shuffles quickly past the animal corpses that appear along the riverbank. Aisha’s concern for the forest intensifies, but the farther they climb, the more slow and treacherous their path. More than once, she or Asra slip, only for strong hands to catch them.

Finally, they emerge in a clearing with a spring resembling a tar pit, despite lacking the viscosity. Bright blue flowers whose petals glow with an unnatural design populate its bank. The area around them is clear of animals, other than a few bones that have been picked clean.

"It's beautiful," Asra says.

Muriel scowls, keeping his distance. "It's rotten." It’s apt; what had been a scent is now a stench. 

By now, even Muriel seems worse for wear from the climb. Aisha proposes they stop to rest, and she and Asra simultaneously pull out food. While they divvy it up, Muriel gets out strips of meat for Inanna.

"We're really going to destroy all those flowers, huh?" Asra says. “Can’t they just be moved away from the water?”

"They'll destroy everything else," Muriel says. “They don’t belong here.”

That seems to make Asra more resigned, but not happier. Aisha rubs his back, and Muriel turns away.

Upon Aisha's suggestion, Asra sketches records of the flowers before they set about their task. Between the two water mages, they manage to burn the plants; compared to that, purifying the spring water comes easily. By the time they're done, it sparkles in the early evening light. Knowing the wildlife will be safe eases Aisha’s spirit.

Another rest precedes their journey back down to Muriel's hut. He's silent, and the others are worn down enough to be almost as quiet as him. When they arrive, he shuffles his feet in front of the door. "Thanks," he says. 

"Thank you for being so helpful," Aisha says.

When Asra suggests they get going, Muriel makes them wait. After a moment, he invites Aisha inside. That seems to encourage Asra, so while he pats Inanna, Aisha follows Muriel into the hut.

He retrieves two pouches. One he holds out for Aisha to take. While she inhales the scent of myrrh, he explains, "You'll forget me without it."

"A spell?" she asks. Even after the day's exertion, his aura thrums with it. He nods.

"So. Just keep it. If you want."

"I do. Thank you," she says, deeply touched.

From the other pouch, he pulls out a handful of seashells one-by-one, arranging each carefully on the table. "Don't touch them. Just look." She folds her hands behind her back as she studies each opalescent whorl. "Asra found these. When we lived on the beach."

Her chest lurches. "How long ago was that?"

"A long time. I don't know when we found the shells. But the other kids wouldn't leave us alone. So we hid."

 _Kids_. Her little Asra, sleeping in the sand, until...

"In the woods," Aisha finishes for him.

She takes the opportunity to look around the bare hut, imagining an adolescent Asra curled up in the furs or cooking foraged ingredients over the fire. The images are fuzzy, like the flames' edge; she doesn't even know what he looked like back then. Maybe a hooded cloak hid him from the world, too.

Her heart feels heavy with poison, dark and thick like tar she can’t purify. It coats her tongue, too, making it hard to speak.

"Thank you for showing me," she says, her manners finally breaking through the muck. "And for looking out for him. Muriel, I'm so—"

"Don't. Just... Look."

He puts the shells away as carefully as he got them out. Out of respect, she doesn't note where he hides the pouch.

The moment she sees her child again, it takes all of her willpower not to pull him into her arms. It won't do to cause a scene in front of their host. Asra spies her myrrh and beams.

Inanna paws the ground, beckoning Aisha to say her goodbyes. She cups a hand to whisper to Chimes, "Tell her she has a lovely boy." Inanna only stares as if Aisha had said _your forest has trees_.

She and Asra start their journey home by the light of the moon. In the distance, a wolf howls.


End file.
